Troy to settle police union lawsuit for $85,000

Committee to send deal to council for approval

There was a willingness to fight a civil rights lawsuit filed by the city's largest police union and its president, but financially it was better for the city to settle, the City Council's Law Committee heard Wednesday night.

The $85,000 settlement has the city picking up $10,000 of the cost while its insurance carrier will pay $75,000, Corporation Counsel Ian Silverman said.

The city's costs if it didn't settle could reach $250,000 or more if it lost the case, Silverman said. He estimated the city's legal fees would be at least $40,000.

The municipality has spent about $140,000 to date.

The Law Committee members were told previously by Silverman the case was headed to a Feb. 24 trial in U.S. District Court in Albany.